A recent Florida state education policy that allows U.S. military veterans to teach without a college degree, has been met with criticism and concern.
Dr. Katherine Norris
The Military Veterans Certification Pathway, enacted by the Florida Department of Education (FLDOE), permits veterans who have not yet earned bachelor’s degrees to attain a five-year teaching certificate from the department, granted they fulfill certain requirements.
These requirements include the veteran in question having served a minimum of 48 months of military service with an honorable/medical discharge, having earned a minimum of 60 college credits with a 2.5 grade point average (GPA), and having received a passing score on a Florida subject area examination for bachelor’s level subjects.
The pathway opened as of Jul. 1, 2022. An online application is available.
Dr. Katherine Norris, chair of the department of Curriculum and Instruction at Howard University, said that school districts are in urgent need of teachers.
"I think that, right now, we're in a really critical time in teacher education and in the teacher profession,” Norris said. “And I think that the school districts are scrambling to try to find ways to get teachers in the classroom.”
Dr. Daniel Eadens, an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Higher Education at University of Central Florida said that this pathway could help fill empty teacher spots across the state.
